by Presley Hall
“Run!” Zhori shouts as he yanks his sword free of the last guard, looking at me with wild eyes. “I’m right behind you!”
I can see the small private docking bay now, and the ship inside. There’s a long hallway ahead of us, tiled with more marble, and at the end of the hallway is freedom.
We just have to make it there.
The next few moments pass in a blur. It feels almost like a dream as Zhori and I fight our way through the guards, him with his stolen weapon and me with the blaster that I know is probably close to running out of whatever ammunition it uses. Zhori fights like a madman, enraged and wild, and I back him up. We’ll get out of here or die trying, but neither of us is willing to submit to Savyiek’s plans for us.
At last, we make it through the hallway and reach the ramp leading to the docking bay. But as we race toward the ship, a doorway to our right bursts open and Savyiek storms out, flanked by two guards. His face is furious and red with anger as he points a finger at Zhori.
“Stop! Stop right there.”
“No,” Zhori growls, his chest heaving as he turns to face Savyiek, putting his body between me and the other alien. “No. You’ve lost. We’re leaving. I won’t let you have her.”
Savyiek laughs. “You’ve got no choice. I was going to kill you first, but I think I’ll leave you alive just long enough to let you watch me take her here, up against that wall.” He points. “I’ll leave you broken and on the edge of death, knowing you can’t save her.”
Zhori lets out a sound I’ve never heard before. It’s something between a scream and a roar, a fierce war-cry, and I realize in a rush that what I saw in the alley when he attacked Gir was nothing. Whatever semblance of restraint he had then is gone now, and he springs at Savyiek with nothing but a scavenged pike from one of the guards in his hand.
It doesn’t matter. Savyiek is large, but he doesn’t have Zhori’s strength. He doesn’t have Zhori’s rage.
My mate rips through the guards as if they’re nothing, moving like lightning. The two aliens fall before they have time to reach for their blasters, and Zhori lunges at Savyiek.
I can see his fury and determination in every line of his body, the warrior in him shining through as he brings Savyiek down. The slug-like alien snarls and kicks and scratches as Zhori fights him down to the floor.
It should be terrifying, but it’s not.
It’s beautiful.
He’s beautiful.
I watch as he yanks a jeweled knife from Savyiek’s belt, driving it into the alien’s fleshy throat, and it hits me all over again that Zhori will always protect me. It makes an emotion stronger than I’ve ever felt surge in my chest, racing through my blood as Zhori yanks the dagger free and throws it to the ground. He rears up, rising to his feet and spitting on Savyiek’s body, his hands clenched into fists.
“Zhori,” I whisper.
His gaze snaps to me. His eyes are wild, the heat of battle still burning inside them.
“We need to go.” I hold out my hand, nodding at the ship. “Let’s go home.”
He strides toward me and grasps my hand in his larger one, and we race onto the vessel together. It’s small, but it seems well maintained. Zhori goes to the cockpit immediately, priming the ship to take off.
“You know how to fly?” I ask nervously, my stomach churning.
He chuckles. His voice is still strained, but his eyes have lost a little of their wildness. He looks focused and intense. “I’m not as good a pilot as Druxik, but I’m good enough. Now let’s get off this godsforsaken planet.”
I grab on to the seat next to his, sinking into it and holding on tight as the ship rises into the air. It thrums loudly as Zhori sets the controls and throws it into motion.
“Hang on,” he says grimly. “We’re going to go fast.”
I nod, closing my eyes, fear stealing my breath.
A second later, I feel us shoot out into space.
25
Brooke
After a few moments, I force my eyelids to open.
Nierra grows smaller behind us, and I cling to the edges of my seat as Zhori sends the ship hurtling forward. He’s focused on the controls, his jaw tight, handling it competently as he guides us away from the planet. It would be fascinating to watch if I weren’t so terrified.
I can’t even begin to relax until I start to see Nierra grow smaller in the distance, more and more distance opening up between us and that awful place.
Even though I can see that we’re putting it in our rearview and no one is chasing us, my shoulders stay tight until Zhori sits back from the controls a while later.
“The cloaking device is on,” he says, staring out into the vastness of space ahead of us. “No one is following us that I can see, and I’ve disabled the comms and AI so that the ship can’t call back to them.” His mouth twists as he looks at me. “We’ll never be able to set foot on Nierra again, but I never want to go back to that deshing planet anyway, and something tells me you feel the same way.”
“I feel exactly the same way,” I tell him fervently.
Silence falls between us as we look at each other for a long moment.
It’s the first chance either of us has really had to breathe since we woke up in the cells. As I gaze at Zhori, I realize he’s still spattered with blood from the fight, and the sight of it awakens something deep inside of me.
He looks almost wild, beautiful and brutal and savage.
And he is savage. But only in defense of what he cares about. What he loves.
I stand up, reaching for his hand.
“Come with me,” I urge softly, and he gets up, following me without a word.
I lead him to the single cabin on the ship, pushing the door open. It’s a large room for such a small ship, with a bed decorated with extravagantly lush hangings and an embroidered velvet duvet, all in blues and golds. It clearly belonged to someone very wealthy, and I consider suggesting that we burn the whole damn thing once we get back to Kalix. Being on Savyiek’s personal ship makes me shudder, but there’s also a strange sense of pride and victory in it.
Because we won. We took his ship and escaped. And Savyiek is dead. He can never hurt us again.
Zhori turns to face me as I close the door behind us, and he reaches down, trailing his fingers through my hair as he bends to kiss me.
“My Irisa,” he whispers against my lips, his voice almost reverent. “My Brooke.”
I curl my hand behind his head, closing my eyes as I kiss him back, relieved that we’re here at last, on our way back to Kalix.
“Come on,” I murmur. “Let’s get cleaned up.”
We go into the bathing room, and I turn on the shower in the marble-tiled pod. Steam fills the room and loosens the tension in my muscles as I undress quickly, throwing my blood-stained, filthy clothing aside.
I catch my breath as Zhori drops his loincloth to the floor. He looks so fierce and beautiful, his bronze skin glinting in the misty room, and I can see that he’s half-hard already from the sight of my naked body, his cock swelling and thickening as his eyes rake over me with blatant need.
Reaching for his hand again, I draw him under the water with me. He watches me curiously as I take a soft cloth and lather it up with the spicy-smelling soap in the shower before gently rubbing it over his flesh. He lets out a long sigh as I wash him, my hands running over his body as the dirt and blood come free, turning the water pink until it finally runs clear and he’s clean and shining once again.
I feel as if I can hardly breathe as I scrub the cloth over him, over the rippling muscle and hard lines of his gorgeous body. As I move down to his thighs, I can’t help but slide my hand between his legs, cupping him there and gently squeezing, the heel of my hand sliding against his cock as he groans.
“Gods, that feels good,” he murmurs. His hips thrust against my hand as he reaches for me, turning me so that my back is against the wall. “Now you.”
His hands on me are slow and tender, just as mine were on him, and once h
e’s cleaned me all over, he tosses the cloth aside. His fingers skim over my cheek as he moves closer to me, erasing the space between us.
“I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispers. “I thought—”
“You’ll never lose me.” I shake my head, my hand coming up to cover his. “Never. I’m yours forever. Isn’t that what the bond means?”
“It does.” His eyes meet mine, glowing silver, and he rocks against me, his cock pressing against my stomach. “And I’m yours forever too. Nothing could ever separate us. I will never allow it.”
“Good.”
I lean up to kiss him then, sighing with pleasure as I feel him grind harder against me. In the heat of the shower, I feel as if we could truly melt into each other, sinking into each other’s bodies until we actually become one.
His hands skim over my waist and my hips, his fingers sliding between my thighs, and he groans when he feels how wet I am, my body aroused and aching for him.
“Gods, I want you,” he murmurs as his fingers rub gently over my clit, sending sparks shooting through me. “I want you so much.”
“You have me,” I whisper back, my lips curving in a smile against his. I open my eyes and draw back a little so he can see how much I mean it. “You can have me any way you want. I’m all yours, Zhori. Every part of me.”
“Oh?” His eyes burn with heat, an intense desire filling his expression. The confident, sexy smile I know so well spreads across his face. “Any way I want? Every part of you?”
My core clenches as I nod, understanding the question just beneath his words. “Yes. Every part.”
He growls, one large hand sliding around to squeeze my ass as the fingers of his other hand keep moving slowly over my clit. The pressure of his fingers teases me until I’m gasping with need for him. He waits until I’m whimpering into his mouth, panting and writhing against his touch with the need for more—more pressure, more friction, more of everything my mate is doing.
Then he steps back, his eyes sweeping over me with a possessive heat that makes me shiver with desire.
He’s looking at me as if I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, but I feel the same way about him. Every inch of him is sculpted and gorgeous, from his muscular body, carved and rippling like a bronzed statue come to life, to the black horns curving close to his head and those starlit eyes shining with desire.
Holding my gaze, he drops to his knees under the hot spray of the water. His hands slide up my thighs, parting them as he looks up at me with a ravenous expression.
“I want to make you come on my tongue,” he murmurs before kissing me softly at the apex of my thighs, brushing his lips over my sensitive flesh. “I want to taste you when you come. And then—”
He doesn’t finish the sentence, leaving my mind full of ideas about what might come after this as his tongue plunges between my legs. His hands slide over my thighs, reaching up to grip me as his tongue slides over my clit. I hear him moan as he tastes my arousal, and the vibrations spread through my body, making me gasp.
Zhori devours me as if he’s starving, and I can’t stop myself from riding his face, moving against him as his tongue works in circles around my clit. He changes up the pattern every time I get close to coming, pushing me higher and higher until I don’t think I can take it anymore. Then he thrusts two fingers into me, moving them in hard, firm strokes that send me hurtling me over the edge.
I scream out his name, my whole body tensing and my back arching. Zhori’s tongue keeps lashing my clit, his mouth and fingers continuing in tandem as he carries me through my release.
To my surprise, he doesn’t stop. He keeps going even as the orgasm begins to fade, sending a fresh wave of pleasure cascading through me. I don’t know if it’s two separate orgasms or just one long one, but it doesn’t really matter. Zhori knows my body now, and his determination to make me come is unmatched. He plays me like an instrument, eliciting feelings in me that no man ever has before.
When I finally sag against the wall, he rises to his feet, claiming my mouth in another hot kiss. I can taste myself on his tongue as I slide my hand down the rippling muscles of his stomach to where his cock juts out from his body, thick and hard.
“Brooke…”
He groans as my hand encircles him. I stroke slowly, enjoying the feel of him throbbing against my palm. He’s so large, rigid and thick, and my pussy clenches as I slide my thumb over his crown.
“I need you inside me,” I whisper. “Now.”
Without a word, Zhori reaches for my waist and lifts me up, wrapping my legs around him as my back meets the shower wall.
“Krax. I could spend my entire life inside you.” He groans as he finds my entrance with his cock. His glowing silver eyes fix on mine as he thrusts forward, plunging inside me with one hard stroke. My fingers slide through his wet hair to grasp the base of his horns, and from the way he pulses inside me, I know it must feel good to him.
“When we get home,” he grunts, “I’m not letting you out of bed for at least a week.”
“Only a week?” I tease breathlessly, and he responds by pushing me hard against the wall, the ferocity of his thrusts increasing. He thrusts once more, bottoming out inside me, and his chest heaves against mine, his body trembling with the need for release as he stays still for a moment.
Then, suddenly, he slides out of me, setting me down on the floor as he reaches to turn off the water. He doesn’t bother drying off or handing me a towel, just lifts me into his arms, cradling me against his chest as he stalks back into the main room, both of us still dripping.
“We’re both wet—” I start to say, and he growls hungrily.
“You certainly are.” He deposits me on the mattress and crawls up over me, his eyes burning with desire. “And I don’t care if we soak this whole deshing bed. I want you on your back beneath me, looking up into my eyes as I fill you with my cock and make you come.”
He cups my breasts, squeezing them and pinching my nipples as he sits back on his heels. One calloused hand runs down my stomach as he gazes at me, his other hand reaching down to fist his shaft.
“Watch me,” he rasps, his tone deep and commanding. “Look how hard you make me. How much I want you.”
My breath catches as I do as he says. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen—his broad, strong hand gripping his cock, stroking it firmly as his gaze rakes over my body. His fingers slide between my legs, rubbing my clit for a moment as he spreads me open so that he can see all of me, and his expression grows even more possessive.
With a deep groan, he moves over me again, lifting my hips and impaling me in one hard thrust.
“Gods, you feel so deshing good.” He swirls his hips, grinding against me.
“So do you.” I gasp. “Oh god, I’m so… so full…”
His lips slide down my neck, his tongue flicking over the soft skin as he sucks at my throat gently, causing me to moan and arch upward against him. There will be a mark there later, and I actually like the idea. I like the thought of being able to see the evidence of our connection on my skin.
“My Irisa. My sweet Brooke,” he whispers, sounding as lost to the pleasure as I am, almost delirious from it.
Liquid heat is gathering in my core again, my muscles trembling as another orgasm bears down on me with the inevitability of a tidal wave.
“I’m going to come,” I choke out. “Fuck, Zhori, I can’t—oh, please, fuck!”
An explosion of pleasure crashes through my body, and my mouth falls open on a silent scream. I don’t have the air to put any volume behind it. All I can do is cling to him as sensation nearly overwhelms me.
When I finally stop shuddering, he pulls back a fraction, his cock still buried inside me as he breathes hard and fast.
“You said I could have you any way I want,” he reminds me hoarsely, studying my face as if to be sure I really meant it.
“You can. Anything.”
And I do mean it. My whole body is limp and pulsing w
ith the aftershocks of the most intense release I’ve ever felt, but I want to feel him come too. And I trust him not to go too far, to always keep my pleasure in mind.
He reaches for my legs, lifting them over his shoulders as he spreads them wide. His hand slides under my ass, squeezing my cheeks and spreading them apart as his finger presses between them. I gasp at the sensation. It’s strange, and not something I’ve felt before… but it feels surprisingly good, especially with his cock still buried inside of me.
“Will you let me claim you here?” he asks.
I nod, unable to form the words as a shock of anticipation floods my veins.
His eyes gleam with possessive heat, his cock throbbing inside me.
“Gods, you’re perfect. And all mine.” He pauses. “Have you done this before?”
“No,” I whisper, my hips still rocking against him with the need for more.
“I’ll be gentle. But I’m glad I’ll be the first. The only man to possess you entirely.”
Oh fuck. Why is that so hot?
His words send pure arousal pulsing through me. I almost feel like I could come again right now, my body keyed up and ready for everything Zhori has planned for me.
He works a finger in and out of my ass, using my own arousal to slick the way. After a while, he adds a second finger, slowly stretching and preparing me, giving me time to adjust to the foreign sensation.
When his cock slides out of my core at the same time his fingers leave my ass, I whimper at the feeling of emptiness. But then he lifts me a little higher, my legs still hooked over his shoulders, and I feel his cock pressing against my back hole.
“I want to watch your face when I claim you,” he whispers gruffly. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”
His muscles are taut with the effort of holding back as he works his way slowly inside me. His eyelids droop, and he holds my hips in an almost bruising grip, his face contorting with pleasure.
There’s a slight sting of pain, but it’s overwhelmed by my intense arousal, by the need that’s overwhelming me, burning through my veins. His thumb finds my clit, urging me higher and higher as he thrusts forward a little at a time, and we both gasp with pleasure as he bottoms out, buried deeply inside my ass.
